Chelsea remaining fixtures

Sunderland (H) - Sun 21 MayArsenal FA Cup (N) - Sat 27 May

‘When he (Ake) left on loan to Bournemouth it always looked like he would have more chance of a few starts there than at Chelsea, but his progression has been monumentally impressive in that short spell on the south coast,’ Nevin wrote on Chelsea’s official site.

‘He joins us back at Cobham with the expectation he will get quite a few more opportunities for the first team from now on in. Of course there are top defenders in situ and a few including Brana, JT and Kurt Zouma not even in the side most weeks, but such is Nathan’s improvement it is not beyond the realms of possibility he could jump right to the front of the queue.

‘After scoring three goals in eight league starts from centre back for The Cherries, let’s hope he has kept a few back for the Blues between now and the end of the season.’